Mchale-ritter A Dead Heat In Democrat Poll

October 11, 1992|by DAN SHOPE, The Morning Call

U.S. Rep. Don Ritter is in a horse race for the first time since he gained a House seat in 1978.

The seven-term Republican was in a dead heat with Democrat Paul McHale with four weeks left in the 15th District race, according to a poll taken Oct. 7 by Cooper & Secrest Associates of Alexandria, Va.

Ritter and McHale each gained 42 percent of the votes from 509 people polled in the district. Sixteen percent were undecided. The poll was paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

A similar poll in July showed Ritter leading with 45 percent compared to McHale's 37 percent.

In addition to the poll, McHale announced yesterday that Democrat Richard Gephart, the House majority leader, will visit the Lehigh Valley on Oct. 18 to endorse his candidacy and speak at a fund-raiser.

"So far in this campaign, Mr. Ritter has been raising money," McHale said. "I've been out raising the issues. It paid off. This poll sure makes me feel better....

"Mr. Ritter has spent in excess of an estimated $100,000 on radio ads during the past few weeks. He will eventually outspend me 3-for-1.

"I have done no paid advertising so far. Yet, this has moved from a close race into a dead heat."

Ritter was unavailable for comment, but his campaign director, Michael Solomon, disputed the poll, saying it was inaccurate because it did not include Natural Law candidate Eugene Nau.

Nau wasn't on the poll by name, but those polled had an option to pick "other," McHale said. In fact, 2 percent did.

"We have our own poll that shows Don leading," Solomon said. "There are always about 43 percent of the people who vote for ABR -- `anybody but Ritter.'

"McHale isn't even ahead of that. The only reason he's releasing this poll is for fund-raising."

The poll showed that Ritter is better known -- 95 percent to McHale's 71 percent. But among those who know both candidates McHale is more popular -- 51 percent to 36 percent.

Thirty-six percent of those polled said Ritter had a negative image, compared to McHale's 20 percent.

McHale, at 38 percent, had an eight-point lead over Ritter on the question of being "willing and able to fight for the kind of changes we need in this country."

The National Republican Congressional Committee had tagged the race as one of the 20 hottest House fights for incumbents.

Since upsetting Fred B. Rooney 14 years ago, Ritter, 51, has beaten each of his opponents by more than 17,000 votes.

McHale, 42, is a lawyer and Persian Gulf veteran from West Bethlehem who was elected five times to the state House.

When he was serving overseas, his wife, Katherine, won his spot in Harrisburg, but has resigned effective at the end of this term.

"At this point, the race is going much better than I would have hoped," McHale said. "We've had the momentum since July, and this poll shows that."